This is a class blog run by Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru and her students in the course "Telenovelas, Culture & Society" at the University of Georgia during Fall 2015

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Addiction at its Finest

Well, I am definitely addicted to my telenovela!

I didn’t understand
the hype about how dramatic and addictive these shows could be, but now, merely
27 episodes in, I can’t stop watching. I trick myself into thinking it is okay
to watch 5 episodes without moving from my bed instead of studying for other
classes because, after all, this is work for a class, right?

But now the time has come to form my ideas and thoughts
about “Rubí” in a paper. I’m struggling to figure out what exactly I want to
talk about in the representation and identity paper. We’ve covered such a wide
range of topics that, most, happen to appear as a major part of my telenovela.

First, I want to talk about the elements that are in
telenovelas and how they appear in Rubí… a lot. Of course there is a love
triangle and as the show goes on, the love triangle actually turns into many
different love triangles, making the show even more dramatic. First, there is
Rubí, Hector, and Maribel. Then, as Alejandro tries to win Rubí back, there is
a second love triangle between Alejandro, Rubí, and Hector. Then, there is
Paco, Rubí’s friend that is actually in love with Rubí, but Rubí usually
doesn’t give him the time of day. Paco, himself is in another love triangle
with a woman that he works with along with being in love with Rubí. Then, there
is Rubí’s sister, Christina, who ends up with two suitors. She eventually
chooses Cayetano, Maribel’s chauffeur. However, Marco is still very much in
love with Christina and comes to her house to check on her mother’s health. I
know that as I get deeper and deeper into the show, there will be more love
triangles that appear, going along with the typical code of a telenovela.

We also spoke about various topics showing up in telenovelas
such as diseases and substance abuse. In Rubí, Alejandro’s mother starts to
lose her memory and is tested for Alzheimer’s, one of the topics we discussed
in class. Although, Alejandro’s mother has not formally been diagnosed at the
point of the show that I am at, I could probably accurately predict that it’s
going to happen.

Another aspect that I would like to talk about in my paper
is the gender roles, specifically with Rubí and Hector’s relationship. Although
most people would expect the man to have the power in a typical relationship
that develops in a telenovela, it is actually the opposite with them.
Specifically in some of the more recent episodes I have watched, Rubí is
constantly taking control of the situation and manipulating her way into
Hector’s heart. When Rubí wants Hector to think a certain way, it happens. When
Rubí wants Hector to be jealous, it happens. When Rubí wants Hector to be sad,
it happens. This gender reversal is interesting especially because it is the
opposite with Rubí and Alejandro. Although Rubí tries to convince herself she
is no longer in love with Alejandro, he is persistent in getting her back.
Alejandro has a huge influence on Rubí’s attitude. Although Rubí is
manipulating Hector in a malicious way and Alejandro is doing it because he
knows what should happen, they are still opposite of what you would expect.

I’m sure I will think of more as time passes between now and
when the paper is due, especially because I will be watching more of Rubí and
getting even more addicted.

1 comment:

I think it's very interesting that you mention the gender roles in Rubi. Many of the aspects you talk about like the love triangles and the drama sound like a typical rosa telenovela. However, the fact that Rubi over powers Hector on many occasions and does what she can to manipulate him is definitely not a traditional aspect of a rosa telenovela. I think this speaks to the evolution of writer's expectations of telenovelas and their expansion to the meaning of rosa and de ruptura and how they marry the two.